Last week the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame announced its class of 2022, which will be officially inducted this June in Knoxville, Tennessee. Among the eight people named is DeLisha Milton-Jones. WBB
Among the eight people named is DeLisha Milton-Jones, two-time WNBA Champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist who is currently in her second year as head coach at Old Dominion University.
Milton-Jones played in a then record-setting 499 WNBA games. In addition to her two WNBA titles with the Los Angeles Sparks, she won professional titles overseas, including the prestigious EuroLeague Championship. Despite international and domestic success, she was largely overlooked for WNBA honors because she played in the shadow of legendary players Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker and Tina Thompson.
Milton-Jones gave abundant praise to her husband, Roland Jones Jr., who not only helped her develop her game, but also pushed her into coaching. “It’s awesome when you can go on a journey that I’ve been on and you are able to share that space with someone you love,” she said. The first team she coached was Jones’ American Basketball Association team, and he took her critiques in stride. Her ODU team is having a winning season and aiming for a berth in the NCAA Tournament.